Generally available devices for cutting heavy metal stock such as reinforcing bar and like workpieces are stationary and heavy. Their use therefore, is limited, and they are not capable of hand operation or for being easily taken to a worksite. Pinch bars and bolt cutters are portable and are available to accomplish some cutting tasks, and are often used in applications such as the cutting of padlocks. However, the latter cutters are designed to accomplish the cut in one stroke, and of necessity have long handles in order to provide sufficient leverage to accomplish the task. This makes them awkward or impossible to use where space is limited. It is desirable, therefore, to have a cutting shear that is capable of cutting heavy stock manually, and which is also portable and of compact size so as to be able to be operated successfully in a confined work space. A shear employing a short operating lever to provide multiple incremental cuts on a workpiece will provide such a tool. Such a device should also maintain contact with the workpiece once the cutting operation has begun and substitute multiple subsequently deeper cuts on the workpiece for the force of power driven cutters or long leverage arms. Applicant's invention provides a shear meeting the above requirements.